Civilised Barbarism

Published:Pravda TrudaNo. 6, September 10, 1913.

      Signed:W..

      Published according to thePravda Trudatext.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,1977,

      Moscow,Volume 19,

      pages388-389.Translated:The Late George HannaTranscription\Markup:R. CymbalaPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive

      (2004).You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.•README

Britainand France are the most civilised countries in the
world. London and Paris are the world’s capitals, with populations of six
and three million, respectively. The distance between them is an eight- to
nine-hour journey.

Onecan imagine how great is the commercial intercourse between these
two capitals, what masses of goods and of people are constantly moving from
the one to the other.

Andyet the richest, the most civilised and the freest countries in the
world are now discussing, in fear and trepidation—by no means for the
first time!—the “difficult” question of whether a tunnel can be built
under the English Channel (which separates Britain from the European
Continent).

Engineershave long been of the, opinion that it can. The capitalists
of Britain and France have mountains of money. Profit from capital invested
in such an enterprise would be absolutely certain.

What,then, is holding the matter up?

Britainis afraid of—invasion! A tunnel, you see, would, “if
anything should happen”, facilitate the invasion of Britain by enemy
troops. That is why the British military authorities have, not for the
first time, wrecked the plan to build the tunnel.

Themadness and blindness of the civilised nations makes astonishing
reading. Needless to say, it would take only a few seconds with modern
technical devices to bring traffic in the tunnel to a halt, and to wreck
the tunnel completely.

Butthe civilised nations have driven themselves into the position of
barbarians. Capitalism has brought about a situation in which the
bourgeoisie, in order to hoodwinktheworkers, iscompelledto frighten the British people
with idiotic tales about “invasion”. Capitalism has brought about a
situation in which a whole group of capitalists who stand to lose “good
business” through the digging of the tunnel are doing their utmost to
wreck this plan and hold up technical progress.

TheBritishers’ fear of the tunnel is fear of themselves. Capitalist
barbarism is stronger than civilisation.

Onall sides, at every step one comes across problems which man is
quite capable of solvingimmediately, but capitalism is in the
way. It has amassed enormous wealth—and has made men theslavesof this wealth. It has solved the most complicated technical problems—and
has blocked the application of technical improvements because of the
poverty and ignorance of millions of the population, be cause of the stupid
avarice of a handful of millionaires.

Civilisation,freedom and wealth under capitalism call to mind the rich
glutton who is rotting alive but will not let what is young live on.

Butthe young is growing and will emerge supreme in spite of all.